Project number: 22.05.16.05.01

Biocontrol Agents Against Plant Diseases and Pests

Biological control is an old practice yet recently gaining attention again. In today’s agricultural practices, biological control needs to be up scaled to meet with growers’ expectations in terms of efficacy, ease of use and ultimately costs. The current project will research on highly potent strategies to biologically control pests and disease with antagonists to provide management strategies against major pests and diseases in orchards, vineyards, specialty and field crops. Utilizing approaches spanning from gene sequencing to citizen science, this project will deliver fundamental and applied knowledge to support the use of biological control agents and strategies by Swiss growers willing to operate a shift towards ecologically-sound practices.

Last Name, First Name Location
Bänziger Irene Reckenholz
Brabant Cécile Changins
Breitenmoser Stève Changins
Dahlin Paul Wädenswil
Egger Barbara Wädenswil
Freimoser Florian Changins
Grabenweger Giselher Reckenholz
Hiltpold Ivan Changins
Kehrli Patrik Changins
Kellenberger Isabelle Changins
Klötzli Estermann Françoise Changins
Laurent Julie Changins
Linder Christian Changins
Schumpp Olivier Changins
Stucky Tobias Wädenswil

Breitenmoser S., Hiltpold I.
Synthèse et bilan du Réseau pyrale du maïs 2024.
Agroscope. 2024, 22 pp.

Stucky T., Sy E. T., Egger J., Mathlouthi E., Krauss J., De Gianni L., Ruthes A. C., Dahlin P.
Control of the plant-parasitic nematode Meloidogyne incognita in soil and on tomato roots by Clonostachys rosea.
Journal of Applied Microbiology, 135, (5), 2024, Article lxae111.

Rueda Ayala V. P., El Houssein Chouaib H., Persson T.
Optimizing manure application rate to grass sward ground coverage before and after the winter season.
In: 30th General Meeting of the European Grassland Federation. 12 June, Leeuwarden (NL). 2024, 1.

Hiltpold I., Rasmann S., Ali J. G.
Chemical ecology of entomopathogenic nematodes: Back to the future.
In: 56th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology. 29 July, Vienna. 2024, 1-20.

Sion A., Hiltpold I., Verheggen F., La Forgia D.
Odour hunters: Deciphering the impact of egg-emitted VOCs on host recognition in Trissolcus basalis and T. japonicus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae).
In: 39th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE). 14 July, Prague. 2024, 1-27.

Moisan K., Kostenko O., Galeano M., Soler R., van der Ent S., Hiltpold I.
The sky is not the limit: Successful foliar application of Steinernema spp. entomopathogenic nematodes to control Lepidopteran caterpillars.
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 206, 2024, 1-11.

Breitenmoser S.
Le Faux-taupin des Pyrénées : Microrhagus pyrenaeus (Bonvouloir, 1872) - Eucnemidés.
In: Les Coléoptères du bassin genevois - Espèces représentatives de la faune régionale. Publ. Blanc M. & Rochet C., Faune Genève. 2024, 210-213.

Breitenmoser S.
Le Méligèthe du colza : Brassicogethes aeneus (Fabricius, 1775) - Nitidulidés.
In: Les Coléoptères du bassin genevois - Espèces représentatives de la faune régionale. Publ. Blanc M. & Rochet C., Faune Genève. 2024, 152-155.

Breitenmoser S., Blanc M.
Le Doryphore : Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say, 1824) - Chrysomélidés.
In: Les Coléoptères du bassin genevois - Espèces représentatives de la faune régionale. Publ. Blanc M. & Rochet C., Faune Genève. 2024, 118-121.

Blanc M., Breitenmoser S., Rochet C.
Liste commentée des Cerophytidae, Elateridae, Eucnemidae et Throscidae du bassin genevois (Coleoptera).
Alpine Entomology, 8, 2024, 51-64.

Koller J. S., Gonthier J., Norgrove L., Arnó J., Sutter L., Collatz J.
A parasitoid wasp allied with an entomopathogenic virus to control tuta absoluta.
Crop Protection, 179, 2024, 1-7.

La Forgia D., Gindro K., Hiltpold I.
Les oeufs de la punaise marbrée, source d'innovations phytosanitaires.
Journal Agri, 15 mars, 2024, 20.

Hiltpold I., Breitenmoser S., Bolis L., Rasmann S., Baux A., Magnin L., Laurent E.-A., Bessat M., Petremand G.
Culture du colza et lutte contre ses insectes ravageurs : La durabilité est-elle possible ?
In: Annual meeting of the Swiss Entomological Society. 8 mars, Neuchâtel. 2024, 1-29.

Brunner M., Zeisler C., Neu D., Rotondo C., Rubbmark O., Reinbacher L., Grabenweger G., Traugott M.
Trap crops enhance the control efficacy of Metarhizium brunneum against a soil‑dwelling pest.
Journal of Pest Science, 97, 2024, 1633-1645.

Freimoser F., Mahler M., McCullough M., Brachmann A. O., Nägeli L., Hilber M., Piel J., Hoffmann S. A., Cai Y.
Heterologous pulcherrimin production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae confers inhibitory activity on Botrytis conidiation.
FEMS Yeast Research, 24, 2024, 1-8.

Seib T., Reinbacher L., Paluch M., Nikolei R., Lehmhus J., Grabenweger G., Stephan D.
Pathogenicity of Metarhizium and Cordyceps isolates against larvae of different Agriotes species and populations in correlation with conidial size and germination.
Biocontrol Science and Technology, 34, (1), 2024, 44-64.

Koller J. S., Norgrove L., Sutter L., Gonthier J., Arnò J., Collatz J.
Biological control of Tuta absoluta using a parasitoid and a granulovirus.
In: IOBC-WPRS Bulletin Vol. 167. 21-31 août, Publ. Carmelo Rapisarda, Laure Dreux, Bruno Gobin, Gerben Messelink, Brest. 2023, 82-83.

Breitenmoser S.
Synthèse et bilan du Réseau pyrale du maïs 2023.
Agroscope. 5. Decembre, 2023, 23 pp.

Hiltpold I.
Better together than alone: The use of intercropping in field crops.
In: Phytomedical Colloquim. 22 November, Goettingen. 2023, 1-37.

Hiltpold I., Soler R., Galeano M., Moisan K.
Sky is not the limit: Successful application of soil-dwelling entomopathogenic nematodes to control Lepidopteran caterpillars on leaves.
In: 55th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology. 30. July, Maryland. 2023, 1-13.

Stucky T., Hochstrasser M., Meyer S., Segessemann T., Ruthes A. C., Ahrens C., Dahlin P., Pelludat C.
Screening-Test für bakterielle Antagonisten des südlichen Wurzelgallennematoden.
Agrarforschung Schweiz, 14, 2023, 229-235.

La Forgia D., Hiltpold I., Cleroux M., Favaro R., Gindro K.
The killer detects prey’s odours: can fungi be attracted to Halyomorpha halys eggs by their volatiles?
In: European conference of Entomology 2023. 16. October, Heraklion (GR). 2023, 284.

Cachat-Terrettaz M., Christen D., Mazzi D., Sarrasin C., Gilli C., Humair L., Seehausen L.
Point sur la lutte contre la cochenille de Comstock.
Vignes et Vergers, 5, 2023, 14-15.

Kambor J., La Forgia D., Wilhelm M.
SOPRA: Schädlingsprognose in Zeiten des Klimawandels.
Obst+Wein, 159, (7), 2023, 14-17.
other Languages: french

Nägeli L., Schuler M., Segessemann T., Frei D., Frey J., Ahrens C., Wolfe K., Freimoser F.
Genome sequence data of the strongly antagonistic yeast Pichia kluyveri isolate APC 11.10 B as a foundation for analysing biocontrol mechanisms.
Data in Brief, 49, 2023, 1-7.

Rueda-Mejia M. P., Bühlmann A., Ortiz-Merino R. A., Lutz S., Ahrens C., Künzler M., Freimoser F.
Pantothenate auxotrophy in a naturally occurring biocontrol yeast.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 89, (7), 2023, 1-13.

Todd Kabaluk, Grabenweger G., La Forgia D.
The meeting of minds to share solutions for a complex insect pest.
Arthropod-Plant Interactions, In Press, 2023, 1-2.

Kunkel B., Cissel W. J., Tooker J. F., Howe D. K., Denver D. R., Mc Donnell R. J., Hiltpold I.
Nematodes associated with terrestrial slugs in Mid-Atlantic (Delaware, USA) soybean.
Agronomy, 13, (645), 2023, 1-11.

La Forgia D., Martin C., Turlings T. C. J., Verheggen F.
2‑Pentylfuran: an aggregation attractant for wireworms.
Arthropod-Plant Interactions, 17, 2023, 465-472.

Spescha A., Zwyssig M., Hess Hermida M., Moix A., Bruno P., Enkerli J., Campos-Herrera R., Grabenweger G., Maurhofer M.
When competitors join forces: consortia of entomopathogenic microorganisms increase killing speed and mortality in leafand root‑feeding insect hosts.
Microbial Ecology, 2023, 1-14.

Reinbacher L., Praprotnik E., Razinger J., Bacher S., Grabenweger G.
Influence of wireworm diet on its susceptibility to and control with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) in laboratory and field settings.
Journal of Economic Entomology, 116, (1), 2023, 108-118.

Spescha A., Weibel J., Wyser L., Brunner M., Hess Hermida M., Moix A., Scheibler F., Guyer A., Campos-Herrera R., Grabenweger G., Maurhofer M.
Combining entomopathogenic Pseudomonas bacteria, nematodes and fungi for biological control of a below-ground insect pest.
Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 348, 2023, 1-12.

Breitenmoser S.
Bulletin hebdomadaire Réseau pyrale du maïs et bilan 2022.
Agroscope, Agrometeo. 20. April, 2022, 9 pp.

Knecht L., Born Y., Pelludat C., Pothier J., Smits T., Loessner M., Fieseler L.
Spontaneous resistance of Erwinia amylovora against bacteriophage Y2 affects infectivity of multiple phages.
Frontiers in Microbiology, 13, 2022, 1-14.

Lewis E. E., Stevens G., Hiltpold I.
Nematode use for testing theoretical models of behavioral ecology.
In: Nematodes as Model Organisms. Publ. Itamar Glazer, David I. Shapiro-Ilan, Paul W. Sternberg, CABI Publishing. 2022, 276-292.

Breitenmoser S.
3 questions à concernant la chrysomèle des racines du maïs (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera).
Revue UFA, (10), 2022, 14.

Breitenmoser S., Hiltpold I., Steinger T., Baux A.
Intercropping Winter Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.) Has the Potential to Lessen the Impact of the Insect Pest Complex.
Agronomy, 12, (3), 2022, 1-10.

La Forgia D., Verheggen F.
War in the darkness: The use of volatile organic compounds as biological alternatives to control wireworms.
In: ICE2022. 16. juillet, Helsinki. 2022, 1-24.

La Forgia D., Hiltpold I., Gindro K., Cléroux. M, Kehrli P.
Following stink odor: The use of oviposition induced plant volatile to enhance the presence of egg parasitoids in the field against Halyomorpha halys and Nezara Viridula.
In: Pherofruit 2022. 25. septembre, Girona (Spanien). 2022.

Schweizer C., Grabenweger G.
Maikäfer mit natürlichen Pilzen kontrollieren.
In: BEA 2022. 29. April, Bern Expo. 2022.
other Languages: french

Schweizer C., Grabenweger G.
Pilze, nützliche Helferin der Landwirtschaft.
In: BEA Bern. 29. April, Bern Expo. 2022.
other Languages: french

Ranca A., Fragnière A.-L., Ene S. A., Modic S., Rossi V., Caffi T., Razinger J., Rodrigo Santamalia E., Wipf D., Kehrli P.
Potential of cover crops to control arthropod pests in organic viticulture.
Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine ClujNapoca. Horticulture, 79, (1), 2022, 41-46.

Pelludat C., Gschwend F., Widmer F.
Nouvelles perspectives de la lutte biologique contre le feu bacterien.
Vignes et Vergers, 05, (Mai 2022), 2022, 14-16.

Knecht L. E., Heinrich N., Born Y., Felder K., Pelludat C., Loessner M. J., Fieseler L.
Bacteriophage S6 requires bacterial cellulose for Erwinia amylovora infection.
Environmental Microbiology, online, (15 March), 2022, 1-15.

Müller L., Müller D., Kammerecker S., Fluri M., Neutsch L., Remus-Emsermann M., Pelludat C.
Priority effects in the apple flower determine if the siderophore desferrioxamine is a virulence factor for erwinia amylovora CFBP1430.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 88, (7), 2022, 1-13.

Rueda Mejia M. P., Nägeli L., Lutz S., Ortiz-Merino R. A., Frei D., Frey J. E., Wolfe K. H., Ahrens C., Freimoser F.
Genome sequence data of the antagonistic soil-borne yeast Cyberlindnera sargentensis (SHA 17.2).
Data in Brief, 40, (February), 2022, 1-6.

Stucky T., Sy E. T., Krauss J., Dahlin P.
BioAct WG: Biologisches Nematizid im Einsatz gegen Wurzelgallennematoden.
Agroscope Science, 132, 2022.

Breitenmoser S.
Bulletin hebdomadaire Réseau pyrale du maïs et bilan 2021.
Agroscope, Agrometeo. 24. Dezember, 2021, 25 pp.

Pelludat C., Gschwend F., Widmer F.
Neue Perspektiven der biologischen Feuerbrandbekämpfung.
Schweizer Zeitschrift für Obst- und Weinbau, 17, 2021, 10-12.

Breitenmoser S.
Bulletin hebdomadaire Réseau pyrale du maïs et bilan 2020.
Agroscope, Agrometeo. 2020, 21 pp.

Breitenmoser S.
Bulletin hebdomadaire Réseau pyrale du maïs et bilan 2019.
Agroscope, Agrometeo. 5. Dezember, 2019.

Breitenmoser S.
Bulletin hebdomadaire Réseau pyrale du maïs 2018.
Agroscope. 31. Oktober, 2018.